


Phoenix and Dragon

by JasmineTeaLatte



Series: The Phoenix and the Dragon [11]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Lightningbending & Lightningbenders (Avatar), Non-Graphic Violence, Post-The Last Agni Kai (Avatar), The Last Agni Kai (Avatar), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Zutara Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25057348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasmineTeaLatte/pseuds/JasmineTeaLatte
Summary: On the day of Sozin’s Comet during the final Agni Kai between brother and sister for the throne, the Fire Sages say that a mighty dragon laid down his life to save a blue phoenix.In return the phoenix called upon her healing abilities, using her tears to grant the dragon temporary immunity from death and resurrected him.The phoenix of course is associated with Yin - femininity, the moon, and the earth; whereas the dragon is associated with Yang - masculinity, the sun, and the sky.It was by their love, the Sages say, that they were able to win the throne and deliver each other from certain doom.They now look towards the future together hand in hand, ready to face a world reborn...Written for Zutara Week 2020 - Day 7: Rebirth
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong, Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: The Phoenix and the Dragon [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847290
Comments: 74
Kudos: 242





	1. Incineration

_What happens to a phoenix at the end of its life, Zuko?_

_How_ _can it rise again after burning to nothingness?_

“No lightning today? What’s the matter, afraid I’ll redirect it?” the prince called out to his sister.

The odds, which had been stacked against him all of his life, were finally in his favor.

Zuko hadn’t just kept up with Azula’s bending, he’d surpassed it. For once, he was actually winning. He knew he shouldn’t let this go to his head, but it was hard not to, especially with the comet’s influence.

He wouldn’t admit it out loud, especially not to the waterbender who watched their duel from a safe distance away, but he finally understood the ferocity his ancestors must have felt a hundred years ago.

Raw, visceral power coursed through his entire body and he felt like he could incinerate the whole world with just a finger. Sparks seemed to crackle around him whenever he exhaled, and the temptation to burn everything in sight pulsed through his veins.

The old Zuko would have listened and done just that. But not the Zuko who now stood on the battlefield, just minutes away from winning the throne against his sister.

Sensing the end of the fight was finally near, his companion quietly moved closer.

Azula, disheveled and losing for perhaps the first time in her life, panted and roared back, “I’ll show you lightning!”

Zuko moved his arms into a defensive position and collected his breath while she prepared to attack. He’d successfully countered the deadly flames once before against his father, and he was confident he could do so again.

He just had to wait for her to strike.

But then, the princess’ eyes darted off over his shoulder. She smirked viciously before releasing a sizzling wave of blue lightning at full blast off to his side.

 _What was she doing?_ he wondered in bewilderment. _How could she miss him by that much? Unless…_

Time seemed to slow as his head swiveled to follow the lightning’s path, and he finally understood the gravity of his mistake.

The lightning he’d taunted her to release wasn’t meant for him at all.

It was aimed directly at Katara, who was frozen in place with fear in her eyes.

~*~*~

Before they’d even arrived in the capital, he had warned her that Azula would exploit any weakness, which Katara knew all too well after Ba Sing Se.

They agreed not to show any trace of affection once her coronation party came into view, even though he wanted nothing more than to hold her hand for reassurance. 

Zuko wasn’t sure where they had slipped up, but if he had to guess, it probably would have been when he’d accepted Azula’s invitation to an Agni Kai. His eyes must have reflected tenderness for the briefest moment when he vowed to Katara that no one else would get hurt. 

Her eyes had also shown concern when he’d accepted the challenge, but deep down he knew Azula had only focused on his reaction. 

He knew Katara would be safe sheltered away from their inferno, but at some point she must have escaped. Zuko didn’t blame her - if the roles had been reversed, he wouldn’t have lasted nearly as long standing on the sidelines. 

She should have been safe even then on the edge of the battlefield, since attacking a non-combatant during an Agni Kai was an automatic forfeit. Azula realized she would lose regardless, and she decided that nothing else mattered in the end except breaking his heart. 

If she couldn’t be Fire Lord, she would ensure his victory would be a hollow one and hurt him in the cruelest way possible.

~*~*~

His feet pounded against the tiles, sending shockwaves through his legs and up into his body as he raced towards her.

He didn’t care that he was being foolish, that he was practically throwing away the fate of his entire nation for her sake.

Zuko was not going to let his miscalculation cost him Katara’s life, but his heart sank when he saw there was no possible way to reach her before the lightning. He wouldn’t be able to redirect it away; there was no possible way to save her.

She was going to die suffering the worst pain imaginable, and it was all his fault. Once again he'd ruined everything, just like he always did. But this time, he knew losing her would be enough to destroy him.

 _No,_ he screamed in his mind, or maybe it was out loud. 

Suddenly, he realized how he could still protect her, even though it would most likely kill him in the process.

Zuko didn't hesitate for a second.

He leapt in front of her just in time, catching the full force of the lightning as it snarled and sank into his chest like a thousand sharp teeth.

~*~*~

His uncle had warned him about how dire the consequences would be if he let lightning pass through his heart, but Zuko never anticipated this level of agony.

He had endured more burns and injuries in his life than he could count - it came with the territory of being a firebender, after all. Before now, two of those instances stood out in his mind as the most painful experiences, at least the ones that involved fire.

But the excruciating pain he now felt throbbing through his bloodstream and nerves was far worse than anything he'd ever been through, bringing a new wave of torment with each heartbeat.

This hurt more than the explosion he’d survived prior to the Siege of the North, which he'd just barely survived with a black eye and bruises all over his face and body.

It somehow hurt even more than when his father had scarred him - as agonizing as that was, at least it had been contained to a single area.

Zuko now burned alive from the inside out as white hot pain seared throughout his entire body, and his veins were scorched to ash as the deadly blue flames scalded the blood within to nothingness.

 _... the damage could be deadly,_ he heard his uncle say from lifetimes ago, and indeed that seemed inevitable now.

When he’d redirected the lightning from his father on the Day of Black Sun, it had been exhilarating. Yet as the flames consumed him now, he felt a different type of intoxication.

He would most certainly die from this, Zuko thought, but he somehow never felt so _alive_.

~*~*~

An eternity later, he realized he was finally falling.

He just managed to throw his arm upwards in time to release the lightning into the sky and slammed hard against the tiles with a sickening thud before he skidded to a stop.

His right shoulder had dislocated when he landed, he realized through a haze of pain, but that was the least of his worries. He curled his body inwards in a desperate, futile attempt for relief and saw the heavens above splinter into a million streaks.

Zuko heard Katara scream out his name and her footsteps pounding against the tiles as she raced to his side, but his sister’s remorseless blue flames intercepted and nearly burned her before she could reach him.

He blacked out and came to a few minutes later, rolling onto his stomach and stretching his good arm out desperately towards her.

 _I can't even crawl_ , he realized as dread settled in his stomach. He tried calling out but he found he couldn't even speak now, either. He was completely useless.

He still had to reach Katara, though, somehow. He had to do anything to draw Azula’s attention away to save her, but they were too far away.

~*~*~

_What happens to a phoenix at the end of its life, Zuko?_

He remembered how his mother used to tell him stories of the mythical creatures to cheer him up, especially whenever his father or Azula or someone else scorned him for failing miserably at firebending.

 _It catches fire and burns to ashes, falling in the process, and then it resurrects itself and flies away, completely reborn,_ he would respond dejectedly, and she’d give him a gentle hug of encouragement.

 _See? Even if you make mistakes at first, you still have another chance,_ she would assure him _. It doesn't matter how many times you fall, you will always rise again and come back stronger and burning brighter, just like the phoenix._

He'd always found that analogy comforting in its own way, but there was still one detail about it that confused him, even now.

_How does it come back to life, Mom? How can it rise again after burning to nothingness?  
_

At that, Ursa would shake her head with a gentle smile.

_No one knows, Zuko. Its tears can heal a person and even bring them back from the brink of death... but how it resurrects itself each time is one of life’s greatest mysteries._

_~*~*~_

He had burned and fallen just like the phoenixes of legend from his mother's stories. His bones were most likely charred to a crisp, and his insides indeed felt like ashes.

But unlike the phoenix, he knew he had no chance of rising again. Zuko tried to push himself up but immediately collapsed. His body was so broken and weak that one more hit and he would shatter completely.

He tried calling out again to distract Azula somehow, _anything_ to give Katara an opportunity to defend herself, but then he realized his lungs were all but incinerated as well. 

His whole world was on fire, and no one could save him but her. Zuko started to black out once more, vaguely aware that Katara was desperately fighting for her life and wouldn’t reach him in time.

He had faith she would survive this and win, somehow, but absolutely none in himself. His heartbeat weakened, soon crawling to an irregular thud.

 _So this is how it ends_ , he thought as his breathing also slowed down. _This is how I die._

_~*~*~_

Katara still hadn't said the words to him, but he knew in his heart, somehow, that she loved him, maybe as he much as he loved her.

He’d first felt it in the way she held him when he'd broken down and cried in her arms by the shoreline after he bared his soul to the others.

Zuko also noticed how she always tried to make his portion of food spicier when she cooked because that's how he liked it, how she always knew when to hold his hand if he needed reassurance, and how she wasn't afraid to call him out whenever his temper went too far.

He heard it in her laugh when he said something dumb or ridiculous, and how she always encouraged him to open up whenever something bothered him. 

And Zuko saw how her eyes always shone when she looked up at him and felt it in the way she kissed him goodnight before they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

She saw everything ugly and damaged about him and still accepted him exactly as he was, even though she truly deserved much better.

He knew he'd dived headfirst into loving her, but then again, when had he ever played it safe?

That last night at the beach house, he'd almost tipped his hand by admitting he could see himself marrying her at some point off in the future.

Now, he regretted that he'd never get to ask her properly one day.

~*~*~

A lifetime with Katara flashed before his eyes, of everything that could have been, but would never exist now.

Zuko saw her hand in his as they looked out across at the sunset over the ocean from the balcony of their house, a garden of blooming fire lilies below.

He saw the tired euphoria on her face that mirrored his own as they held their firstborn together for the very first time, of him stroking his wife's hair and kissing her as he murmured how well she'd done and how proud he was.

Zuko saw all of their laughing children playing in the fields on Ember Island, excitedly calling out to their father when they saw him instead of cowering away as he'd done with his own.

He saw his wife curled up against him long after their sons and daughters had been tucked in for the evening, and her falling asleep and breathing peacefully in the moonlight as he held her close.

His entire future with her, everything he wanted to do and show her, all of the kisses and nights of passion and her brilliant blue eyes shining up at him, were fading away to nothingness.

Before everything went dark, he remembered standing in the downpour of the sun shower with her from a lifetime ago, when her eyes sparkled as fire and water fused together around them for the briefest moment to create something truly beautiful.

He just hoped Katara would somehow be able to forgive him.

~*~*~

 _Stay with me, Zuko_ , he thought he heard her sob from somewhere in the blackness. _Please stay._

~*~*~

He'd never really given much thought to what would happen after he died, but Zuko always assumed being in the Spirit World, or whatever afterlife he was destined to end up in, would be much less painful, not to mention a lot less stiflingly hot.

He felt himself languidly drift in and out of consciousness, like waves beating against the shore as the world slowly came back into focus.

Gradually, he realized Katara had called forth her healing water and was desperately fighting against death for him to survive.

 _I'm alive_ , he thought weakly. _Against all odds, she brought me back_. That explained why every inch of him hurt so much and why his skin still felt so feverish. He'd also been rolled over at some point, and the tiles were hard against his back.

Zuko was still too exhausted to open his eyes just yet, but he could sense flames burned around them like an inferno, although the ones within him were finally cooling down. 

“Please, Zuko, stay with me. Please stay,” he heard her pleading as she choked the words out.

He finally found enough strength to groan and slowly forced his eyes open a crack, watching her through his lashes. She gasped at the sound and her eyes met his, tears streaming down her face.

 _Tears of a phoenix,_ he thought, hazily remembering the golden embroidery from her party dress. _She saved me when I couldn’t save myself._

He wanted to reach out, stroke her face or comfort her in some small way, but he still couldn’t move.

“Thank you, Katara,” he mumbled weakly.

He hoped she’d heard it, but it was so faint she probably hadn't.

She softly wiped her tears away, although more still flowed down her face.

“I think I’m the one who should be thanking you,” she whispered in relief and he managed to smile, somehow.

~*~*~

She continued to heal him for what seemed like hours, and at last he felt like he was at least strong enough again to sit up. Katara pressed her palm gently against his back, slowly helping him rise from the ground, and then she gasped.

“Zuko, your shoulder! I’m so sorry, I didn’t even notice.” 

She literally just saved him from death and she was still concerned it hadn’t been enough, he thought with some amusement. 

Katara scooted behind him and delicately moved her hands into position.

”I think I’ll have to do this the hard way,” she said hesitantly. “I’m so sorry, this is going to hurt a lot.”

He smiled despite the pain. 

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “I’ve survived worse. At least it’s not lightning.” 

She shook her head. “That’s not funny.”

He wanted to retort that he was the one who nearly died, therefore he had the final say in what constituted humor. But then he sighed softly as he felt her draw more water to her hands as it soaked through his sleeve, lessening the pain just a bit. 

“On three,” he rasped. “One-”

Then he growled despite himself as she prematurely forced his shoulder back into place.

”Sorry!” she cried out, her gloved hands glowing blue as she hurriedly tried to heal the hurt away. 

He hissed slightly, fists clenching. After a minute, though, the pain in his shoulder subsided into the dullest of aches. The rest of his body still hurt, albeit much less than before.

"I'm okay," he rasped out, realizing she was trembling as she continued to heal him.

His eyes met hers, and to her surprise he winked in tired reassurance. 

”Katara, it’s okay,” he said again in a softer tone than before. "Come here."

~*~*~

Katara carefully settled down to sit beside him, letting him lean his good shoulder against her for support. He was still too weak to stand, so he sat there for a while, and she slipped her arm around his lower back to keep him up.

Her eyes met his, and he could see she was tearing up once again.

He smiled weakly and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face, silently thanking the spirits for allowing him a second chance at life with her.

"It's okay," he whispered, but she shook her head.

"No, it's not," she choked out. "I almost lost you, Zuko. I thought I did for the longest time."

"But you didn't," he assured her, leaning his head on her shoulder. "Against all odds, you brought me back and saved me."

He felt tears fall from her eyes above, dripping on him. He sat up again and took her free hand in his, kissing her palm gently and letting his lips linger over her fingertips.

"It's okay," he murmured once more.

Again she shook her head.

"Zuko," she said softly. "There's something you need to know, something I should have told you a long time ago before now, but I was too scared... but then I realized I was more scared that you'd die without ever knowing how I felt about you."

Time seemed to slow again for him and his still-weak heart pounded in his chest.

Katara bit her lip and finally let herself fall. She knew what she was about to tell him meant things would change forever between them.

All it took was Zuko nearly dying for her to finally realize that she couldn’t go another minute without saying she loved him, too.

As she whispered the words she'd been too afraid to say before, she noted how his breath caught in his throat and how his eyes crinkled up in a smile of relief. She was about to say something else, but suddenly Zuko found the strength to sit up and lean forward on his own.

He kissed her, not caring who saw, and at first her eyes widened in surprise as he cradled her face in his hands.

Then she moved herself closer and returned the kiss, lifting her free hand to cup his cheek as tears streamed down her face again.

~*~*~

 _Maybe that’s how the phoenix resurrects itself and rises from the ashes every time,_ Zuko thought as they held each other in silence a long time afterwards, his head resting on her shoulder as her hand glowed blue once more against his chest. _Maybe it’s_ _love_. 

~*~*~

Fnally, he was strong enough to stand, and she helped him up. His legs were unsteady and he stumbled at first, but as long as she was by his side, her hand pressed against his back to give him strength, he could manage.

He tilted his head upwards and carefully exhaled a few wisps of smoke, noticing with mild amusement that they resembled a dragon's breath as they escaped from his nose. 

Zuko looked downwards and held his hands out to inspect at them. Fire flickered to life in his palms and steadily grew until it seemed to dance between his fingers. Encouraged, he turned his head towards Katara and saw her beam up at him in pride. 

“Step back, sweetheart,” he said softly. “I don’t want to burn you.” 

She raised an eyebrow at the new nickname but did as he asked, removing her hand from his back in the process. 

He breathed in deeply, gathering what strength he still possessed. Then he exhaled all of the fire within him skywards with as much ferocity as he could muster.

 _Just like a dragon_ , Katara thought to herself as she stood shivering in awe, watching his golden flames roar up into the crimson sky.

Then his fire died out, and she saw him sway. Immediately she ducked under his left shoulder and helped hold him up. Zuko turned his head back down to look at her and winked. 

”Showoff,” she whispered, but she couldn’t hide her radiant smile, which he returned.

Against all odds, he had risen from the ashes with the help of a blue phoenix.

He was _reborn_.

~*~*~

Azula was bound to the grates some distance away, watching everything.

Once she saw her brother finally rise and stand with that Water Tribe peasant, she started screaming and crying again.

They just looked at her with pity and horror.

~*~*~

From across the courtyard they heard a noise and looked over to see the Fire Sages emerge from their shelter.

The Sages picked their way delicately across the battlefield and bowed deeply before Zuko and Katara.

“Princess Azula has forfeited her claim to the throne by violating the ancient laws of Agni Kai,” one said.

“All hail Prince Zuko, the next Fire Lord!” another called out, and more seemed to appear from nowhere, echoing the chant.

Katara’s blue eyes shone with tears as she looked up at him in elation.

He allowed himself a tired smile, pulled her in for a tight embrace, and rested his cheek against her hair.


	2. Descending

When their friends arrived in the Fire Nation a few weeks later, Katara thought her brother would hug the life out of her.

She and Zuko, dressed in navy blue and crimson respectively, traveled down to the docks that morning along with a small entourage to greet them when their ship arrived.

Avatar and Fire Prince bowed to each other politely before Sokka pushed through the crowd and nearly knocked the wind out of his sister, drawing a few understanding laughs.

General Iroh had also pulled his nephew in for a long hug, and they held a brief, hushed conversation as Katara found herself embraced by Suki, Aang, and Toph as well.

When Iroh stepped back he was beaming, and Katara beckoned Zuko forward to join them in the group hug. It probably wasn’t the most proper behavior for a royal, she thought, but he didn’t look like he cared either way.

“Excuse me, your highness,” said a messenger who had just arrived, pulling the six friends back to attention. “We’ve just received word that the Water Tribe ships will be here in a few hours.”

Zuko suddenly felt his stomach drop when Katara looked up at him with a wide grin. He’d been through hell and back for her, but it was the thought of the upcoming meeting he’d be having with her father soon that actually terrified him the most.

As they started to leave for the palace, Iroh pulled Katara aside for a quick hug.

“Thank you, my dear, for bringing my nephew back,” he murmured, choking up. Then he smiled and added quietly, “I know it’s not official yet, but I’m so happy you’ll be joining my family.”

She grinned back at the general.

“The honor is all mine,” she said softly. “Besides, how could I pass up a chance to drink your famous tea all of the time?”

He chortled loudly, causing the rest of their group to stop and look back in confusion. She just shook her head and as they walked towards the palace, Toph elbowed her, albeit more gently than usual.

“I heard that,” she whispered, grinning. “Congrats, Sugar Queen. Aren’t you glad now Suki and I set up that dance party?”

~*~*~

Shortly after his arrival, Chief Hakoda found himself whisked away to a private meeting between his daughter and the Fire Prince.

Zuko, who had seemed confident enough at the beginning, was now visibly shaking and taking deep breaths. Katara, on the other hand, was smiling as brightly as he’d ever seen and almost bursting with happiness.

Hakoda had received a personal letter from General Iroh prior to his arrival, describing Zuko’s sacrifice to save Katara during the Agni Kai. He’d also heard rumors that the prince held his daughter’s face and kissed her after he was brought back from the precipice of death.

Finally, he also noticed the gentle looks the two shared with each other ever since he set foot in the Fire Nation capital. And so, Hakoda already had an idea of what they wanted to discuss with him when they met in the Fire Lord's personal office.

As the two finished speaking, the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe lowered his head and hid a smile.

Had someone told him a few years ago that the crown prince of the Fire Nation would propose to his daughter and ask for his blessing, Hakoda would have just scoffed. But now, after everything that had happened since then – it made as much sense as anything else in this crazy world.

He looked up at his daughter and the prince solemnly, who awaited his reaction with bated breath.

“Your highness, I’d like to speak with my daughter alone first, if you please.”

~*~*~

Zuko nodded and bowed, giving Katara an encouraging smile one last time as he left the room and shut the door behind him. The second she disappeared from his sight, though, he dropped the facade.

It wasn’t very prince-like behavior, but he pressed his ear against the door, straining to hear even the faintest whisper. Unfortunately, it was completely soundproof, so he had no choice but to sink onto a bench nearby and wait.

He took his topknot down and nervously ran his hands through his hair repeatedly, undoubtedly messing it up. He was just a bit too anxious to care, though.

He knew he’d earned Hakoda’s respect helping him escape from the Boiling Rock. He knew the older man trusted him completely and already considered him an honorary member of the family already due to his friendship with Sokka.

But it was completely different asking to wed the man’s daughter. He knew the chief didn’t blame him for the sins of his father or his nation’s history, but he still worried those factors would cause Hakoda to deny his blessing.

As desperately as Zuko wanted to marry Katara, he also didn’t want to tear her from her family and force her to pick between them. His people’s actions had already ruined their lives enough, and he refused to be the cause of any more heartbreak.

He leaned over in his seat, grasping his disheveled hair in his hands in a silent prayer.

_Please let her stay with me. Please let her father say yes._

~*~*~

Aang, Toph, Suki and Sokka found him still slumped over several few minutes later.

“You okay?” Sokka asked, looking worried, sitting beside his friend. “What’s going on?”

Zuko took a deep breath. He hadn’t looked up, and as silly as it sounded, he was a little nervous to face her brother at the moment.

“I asked Katara to marry me right after I ended the war, and she accepted,” he said softly. “Now she’s talking with your father and he’s deciding if he’ll give us his blessing.”

He was thankful the doors were indeed soundproof, as Suki shrieked and Sokka gave his best friend a hug. A very manly hug, mind you. The Southern Water Tribe warrior definitely wasn’t blinking back tears, either.

Toph punched his arm to show her affection, and Aang smiled, albeit a little sadly. The rest quickly joined the hug, and Zuko once again found himself surrounded and smothered by his friends.

“Congrats, buddy!” Sokka exclaimed. “I knew something was up when we heard about how you saved my sister. Which, by the way, _lightning_?! Wow, you've got to tell us everything. Your uncle told us about what happened when we got the message from the Fire Sages but we need to hear all of the details!”

Zuko’s face reddened in embarrassment.

“He told you about the part where we made out afterwards?”

Sokka’s grin slid off his face immediately.

“No, he definitely didn't mention that,” he said in a low, threatening voice, reaching for his sword.

Suki and Toph started cracking up, and the latter elbowed Sokka.

“Oh, give it a rest,” Suki said. “Weren’t you the one singing his praises awhile back and saying how you’d be thrilled if they ended up together?”

Sokka released the hilt of his sword and shrugged. Friend or not, he still had to give his sister's fiance a hard time. It was his job after all as her older brother.

Zuko raised his eyebrow.

“When did you say that?”

Aang spoke up for the first time since they’d found him in the hallway.

“That was when we had our huge fight, after you stormed off to the beach,” he said softly, “and he’s right. Katara’s fortunate to have you, and I couldn’t be happier for you both.”

Zuko frowned slightly. He realized his friend still wasn’t completely over his feelings for Katara, and he knew Aang was struggling to be the bigger person.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

Aang just nodded solemnly and looked away.

~*~*~

Hakoda listened to his daughter explain her version of the events that led to her falling in love with the prince. She recalled everything from their fateful meeting in the crystal catacombs to confronting Kya’s murderer to his ultimate sacrifice for her during the final Agni Kai.

(Well, everything except for the more intimate details. Her father may have been understanding, but she knew even he had his limits.)

“It’s just a bit strange to me,” he said after a minute of silence. “The last time I saw you two together was at the Western Air Temple. You still hated him and would barely even acknowledge his existence. Now, you tell me you’re in love and wish to marry him, and you’d like for my blessing.”

He cupped his daughter’s cheek tenderly and sighed.

“I just want to make sure you’re doing this for the right reasons. Would you still love him even if he hadn’t saved your life? Are you going along with this out of a sense of debt or gratitude? Are you absolutely certain about your decision, Katara?”

She nodded, her blues eyes brimming with happy tears.

“I am, Dad,” she reassured him. “He’s made so many mistakes, but then again I have, too. I… I was wrong about him back then, and I know I misjudged him, probably more than anyone else in our group.”

He smiled down at his daughter, wondering when his little girl had grown up.

“You really do love him, don’t you?” he asked gently.

She nodded again, wiping tears away.

“Very much, Dad,” she affirmed. “I knew I loved him long before he took the lightning for me. I was just too scared to admit it.”

Hakoda smiled sadly, and suddenly he felt much older than he had a few minutes ago. Well, it’s not like he was losing a daughter, he reasoned. He was just gaining another son.

He pulled his daughter in for a long hug.

“I’m so happy for you, Katara,” he said. “I think you’ve made a wise decision. I agree he’s more than proved that he’s worthy of you, and I would be honored for him to join our family.”

She giggled and hugged her father back. She went to open the door, but he stopped her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Let’s let him sweat it out a bit longer, shall we?”

She put her hands on her hips, exasperated.

“Dad!” she scolded, and he chuckled. 

Then his face took on a somber appearance. 

”Before I can officially give my blessing, however, there’s still something important I need to ask him."

~*~*~

“So...” Sokka said after a long silence.

He'd wanted to hold off just a bit on sharing this bit of news in light of everything else going on, but Zuko clearly needed a distraction at the moment.

“We were going to wait until sometime after your coronation to make the big announcement, but since you’re about to become family, I wanted to let you know that you and I totally had the same idea.”

Zuko looked up from running his fingers through his hair.

“That’s only if your dad says yes,” he mumbled.

Then it dawned on him when he saw Suki take his friend’s hand, and his face broke out into a wide grin.

“Wait, you proposed too?!”

Sokka and Suki grinned at each other, nodding.

“That’s wonderful!” he said, pulling them both in for a hug. “I’m so happy for you both!”

He pulled back, forgetting his own nerves for a minute. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Toph looking downwards, her face reminding him of Aang’s earlier when he found out about their engagement.  His eyes widened in realization, but he’d have to follow that trail of thought later.

“When was it?” he asked, then a thought occurred to him. “Wait. You didn’t give her one of your terrible drawings as your engagement token, did you?”

Sokka scowled and lightly punched his friend’s arm as the others suppressed snickers.  Zuko fought the urge to laugh himself and instead took on his most serious tone.

“You know, you’re not supposed to hit royalty,” he scolded, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Sokka just punched his other arm.

“I think there’s an exception for future brothers-in-law,” he retorted.

Then they both cracked up and hugged as the others joined their laughter.

“He proposed right after we got the message from the Sages that you’d won the Agni Kai,” Suki chimed in after they settled down.

Sokka nodded.

“With everything going on, I haven’t had time to make her anything, but it’s going to be a new set of fans that are both decorative and practical,” he explained.

Then he looked puzzled.

“Wait, how do you know about the Southern Water Tribe’s tradition of giving a token to signify an engagement?”

Zuko’s cheeks blushed for a split second. Then he explained his conversation with Katara the night they got back from the play and how he’d voiced his prediction that her brother would propose at some point in the near future.  


(Toph thought she had heard a shriek down from the beach that night, and this finally proved it.)

“Alright,” Sokka said, nodding when he finished. “What did you give Katara?”

Zuko glanced down.

“I haven’t technically started making it yet, but I’ve got the drawing for it finished,” he said.

He described what he planned to give her and the symbolism behind its design, and he noted proudly that his friends seemed impressed.

“But if your father denies giving us his blessing, it won’t matter,” he said, sitting back down and running his hand through his decidedly unruly hair again. 

His friends exchanged looks with each other. 

“But she’s already said yes,” Aang said quietly. “Isn’t that enough?” 

Zuko looked up. 

“If I wasn’t who I am and there wasn’t the bitter history between the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes, it would be,” he stated matter-of-factly, feeling knots forming in his stomach. “But after everything the Fire Nation has done to the world, no matter how badly as I want this, I’m not going to cause any more heartbreak or misery for anyone.  If he says no... I’m not going to be the bad guy. I’ll respect his decision.”

They all frowned. 

"But what about what Katara wants?" Toph asked. 

Zuko sighed. 

"That's what I'm worried about. I won't challenge the decision, but she will. I don't want her to have to choose between her people and me." 

The others nodded and sat beside him on the bench. 

“If I know my dad, though,” Sokka said, “he’ll be more worried about what Katara wants.” 

Zuko nodded and started to run his hand through his hair again but Sokka stopped him. 

“Seriously buddy, keep that up and you won’t have any hair left by the time of the coronation,” he deadpanned. “Your crown will go sliding off your head right to the ground.”

”Yeah,” Aang added, smiling almost like his old self again. “People might get confused if there are two bald guys up there.”

Zuko laughed with the others but settled for bowing his forehead against his clasped palms instead, breathing unsteadily.

~*~*~

When Hakoda opened the door, he wasn't surprised to see the future Fire Lord looking slightly disheveled and more than a bit nervous. He was surprised, however, to see that Zuko been joined by Sokka and the rest of their friends.

The chief just raised an eyebrow and beckoned to the prince, who hurriedly tried to smooth his hair back up into a topknot and looked for all the world like the terrified young man he was.

Once he was back inside the room, Zuko searched Katara’s impassive face for any trace of a hint but found nothing. His heart was pounding again, and his clenched fists started to smoke ever so slightly.

“Lord Zuko,” Hakoda began solemnly. “I have spoken with my daughter, and now I have just one question for you. What would you do if I denied your blessing? Would you still attempt to marry my daughter?”

~*~*~

Once the door closed behind Zuko, the others slumped back down on the bench.

“Toph, can you pick up on anything from out here?” Aang asked.

She tilted her head.

“They’re just standing and talking,” she said. “His heartbeat is going crazy, and hers is fluttering a bit too, but I can’t tell what’s going on. I can’t hear anything, either.”

The others made a noise of disappointment and settled in. A few minutes later, Toph perked up.

“Someone’s coming,” she said. “Two actually, and this might cause a scene if the timing is off.”

Before they could ask, Zuko’s childhood friend and ex rounded the corner, and Ty Lee and Mai looked down at them in mild surprise.

“Oh,” the black-haired girl said boredly. “Apparently there’s a line to see the soon-to-be Fire Lord.”

Her companion was much more enthusiastic.

“It’s so good to see you all!” she chirped, pulling them in for a hug. “Did Suki tell you all that I’m joining the Kyoshi Warriors?”

Aang looked at his friends nervously, then back at the pair.

“She did actually, and that’s great!” he said trying to sound cheerful.

He noticed Mai stood off to the side with her arms crossed, abstaining from the group hug. He knew Zuko had ended his relationship with her long before he’d started seeing Katara, but he didn’t want his friend’s ex to find out that things were definitively over in this way.

As difficult as this was for him, at least he wasn't completely blindsided, and he didn't want her to be, either.

“Listen, we’re happy for you and all, but we’ll need to congratulate you properly later,” he said. "Let's all catch up at dinner tonight, okay?"

Ty Lee frowned slightly but nodded, and then he addressed Mai directly.

“You may not want to be here when that door opens,” he said as kindly as possible.

She narrowed her eyes and frowned at him.

“And just why is that?” she asked coldly. “I don’t see how it’s any of your business. I’m here to see Zuko, not you.”

Ty Lee tilted her head, confused.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Why don’t we want to be here when he comes out? Who’s in there with him?”

Suddenly Mai realized the group was missing someone else besides Zuko. Those whispers she’d heard couldn’t possibly have any merit. _Could they?_ She suddenly felt sick with dread.

Sokka looked at Suki and Aang before realizing he would have to be the one to break the news.

“Zuko’s in there with my father and my sister,” he said simply, looking down.

Mai felt her heart beating just a bit quicker, but she maintained her cool exterior.

“Discussing what?” she asked calmly, although she couldn’t completely keep the edge out of her voice.

Sokka couldn’t look at her when he spoke again.

“Are you sure you want to know the answer to that question?” he asked quietly.

Toph could have sworn Mai’s heart stopped for a second before it started palpitating. Ty Lee's eyes widened and she clasped her hands over her mouth.

“Wait, so the rumors are true?” she asked in spite of herself. “We heard that Azula attacked your sister during the Agni Kai and Zuko took lightning to the heart for her. But that’s not possible, because he’d be dead, wouldn’t he -”

“ _What_ are they discussing in there?” Mai hissed, tempted to reach for her blades.

The Avatar and his friends looked at each other and frowned. Once again, Sokka spoke up.

“Mai… I don’t know you very well, but I know how close you were to Zuko at one point, and I know he does care about you,” he said quietly. “I don’t think he’d want you to be here when that door opens, either.”

Her normally cool exterior finally cracked just for a split second as she made a soft gasping sound. Then she immediately resumed her composure.

“I see,” she said coldly after a few moments.

She was tempted to pound her fist against the door, interrupt whatever was going on in there and stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life. How could he do this to her? How _dare_ he? Especially with that Water Tribe peasant, of all people?

But the Avatar and his friends now stood on their guard between her and the doorway. Ty Lee was looking at her, horrified on her friend’s behalf.

Mai fumed inwardly for a few moments before she turned on her heel and started to walk away. She held up a hand when she heard her start to follow her.

“Ty Lee, no,” she said, forcing herself to sound as uninterested as possible. “I want to be alone for a while.”

Then after she rounded the corner safely out of their sight, Toph sensed her feet pounding against the floors as she ran off.

Ty Lee looked at the group, torn between concern and happiness.

“I should still go after her,” she said, and they nodded somberly. “But I’ll tell Zuko later how happy I am for them. I haven’t spent much time around Katara, but I sincerely do wish them all of the best.” 

Then she too disappeared around the corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One, yes I was inspired by the ending of Pride and Prejudice when I wrote the scene between Katara and her father, and no, I'm not ashamed to admit it. 
> 
> Two, oh Mai. Poor Mai. I legitimately felt bad writing that scene, because while the circumstances were obviously different, I too have known what it's like when you care about someone and want to be with them, but for whatever reason it doesn't work out. Then you find out they've moved on or even gotten engaged while you're still hung up on them. I'm happily married to the love of my life now, but I do know what that feels like. At some point I want to explore her POV during this scene and her scenes in the next chapter, but I want to do justice to her character so it'll probably be awhile when and if I get around to writing it.


	3. Resurrection

When Zuko raised his head again, he looked directly at the chief. Hakoda could see the young man’s nervousness, but also something else. Almost as if a spark had caught fire inside his soul, and he was now looking directly into the eyes of a dragon.

“Chief Hakoda,” he began. “I love your daughter more than my own life, as I've demonstrated by risking the crown and my nation's future to save her. But more than that, from the very beginning, once we realized and admitted our feelings towards each other, I have followed her decisions wholeheartedly. If at any point she had told me that she did not want to be with me, I would have respected her decision. Therefore, it is only right that I leave that choice up to her.”

“I could not bear to cause her any more heartbreak than what she’s already endured. If you denied us your blessing, I would still wish to marry her, but only if she chose willingly to be with me. I will not come between Katara and her family or her people, nor will I urge her to choose either way. I want what’s best for her, I want her to be happy, and even if that future is not with me, I’ll accept her decision.”

The chief mulled this over for a long time in silence.

Katara had looked up during Zuko’s speech and graced him with a small smile, which soothed his nerves somewhat. Her eyes shone with tears, and it was all he could do to stop himself from reaching out to comfort her.

If her father didn’t say something soon, though, he was going to self-immolate.

At long last, Hakoda spoke.

“Welcome to our family, Lord Zuko. I give you my full blessing, and I would be both honored and elated for you to wed my daughter.”

His words had barely registered in Zuko’s head before he found himself nearly knocked over by Katara, who had swept him up in a full embrace. He was unable to speak, but he compensated for that by wrapping his arms around Katara and hugging her tight. He also had to remind himself to breathe.

When he remembered how to form words, he bowed deeply to his future father-in-law.

“Thank you, Chief Hakoda. Your blessing—” but then he was cut off by a bear hug from the man, who pulled Katara in as well.

“Please,” he laughed. “Call me Dad.”

~*~*~

When Hakoda pulled open the door a few minutes later, their four friends leaning up against it on the outside tumbled rather ungracefully inside.

They took one look at the future Fire Lord and his Lady standing together, and suddenly the couple found themselves in yet another group hug and were deafened by shouts of congratulations.

If they kept this up, Zuko thought he’d be suffocated to death and lose all of his hearing in the process, but there were definitely worse ways to go.

Finally, Sokka spoke.

“Mind if I help out with planning the wedding?”

The couple grinned at each other.

“We’d be honored, Sokka,” his sister said.

“Ooh, ooh!" he added. "I just thought of some great pictures to draw for decorations, too!”

Zuko looked over at Katara, and they rolled their eyes simultaneously as they responded with a loud “ _No_.”

”Save them for your own wedding in a few months,” Zuko added, grinning.

Katara was about to agree with him when it dawned on her.

”Wait, you too?” she gasped, and she shrieked when her brother and Suki nodded happily.

Toph grimaced and clapped her hands over her ears.

”Seriously people, I’m going to be blind _and_ deaf if you keep this up!” she snapped, but then she found herself smiling, albeit a bit sadly.

Hakoda just stood back, chuckling and shaking his head as his children and their companions began laughing and talking over each other. Sokka had already told him the news in a letter, and the chief was elated that their little family was going to grow not just by one, but now two.

It was about to be a very busy year, indeed.

~*~*~

“Need any help with that?”

Zuko looked up from adjusting his formal robes to see Katara standing in the doorway. He called her name joyfully and hugged her.

They’d decided to wait until sometime after his coronation to announce their engagement, but the secrecy had started to grate on his nerves.

Even if the royal court didn’t officially know about their betrothal, it seemed like they had already accepted on some level they were a couple. He also could have sworn he’d heard a few whispers wondering just when and if she’d be presented as their future Fire Lady.

 _Not soon enough_ , he thought.

Katara gave him a kiss on the cheek and smoothed out some of the finer wrinkles in his robe.

“You look spectacular, Sifu Hotman,” she teased him, drawling out the title with a purr.

He rolled his eyes and caught her hands in his, rubbing her smooth palms with his rough fingers.

“You should be up there with me,” he said wistfully, but she shook her head.

“It’s not about me today, this day is about you and Aang bringing the world back into balance,” she reassured. “They’ll find out when the time is right.”

~*~*~

Later, while he knelt before the same courtyard where he’d claimed his birthright, his eyes found Katara's amidst the sea of blues and reds and greens, standing with the rest of the Water Tribe.

He listened with a swell of pride as the sages presented him as Fire Lord Zuko for the first time.

Her radiant smile outshone everything else when the assembly burst into wild applause as he stood solemnly but determined, his golden crown reflecting like fire in the sunlight.

Avatar and Fire Lord grinned at each other and looked back out at the cheering crowd.

Together, they would make things right.

~*~*~

One provision Fire Lord Zuko had insisted on before his coronation was holding a formal ball afterwards, much to the confusion of his citizens, who’d never danced before.

They were also surprised that a class of Fire Nation students personally invited by the Avatar himself already knew how to dance, although they couldn’t figure out why they kept referring to him as "Kuzon."

Aang’s former classmates were awestruck when he introduced them to his good friend, the Fire Lord. They were also impressed that their friend had been the one who taught their new leader how to dance.

Zuko grinned as they excitedly introduced themselves one by one, although he cringed inwardly each time they exchanged a “Flameo, hotman!” with the Avatar.

 _Ugh_. Maybe he should pass a law against it, or something.

”Fire Lord Zuko, are you going to dance tonight?” one of Aang’s classmates asked.

"Yeah, show us your moves!" another chirped, and the rest chorused their agreement.

But he just shook his head and held his hand up. 

”I’ll leave all of the fancy footwork to Aang, since I'd only embarrass myself, but I will make an appearance before the night is over,” he said. 

The Avatar nodded and grinned at his friend. 

”If I had to guess, it will be during one of the couples’ dances, right Sifu Hotman?”

The classmates talked excitedly amongst themselves and looked around the room, picking out all of the single women who seemed to be around the right age.

Zuko shared a brief sympathetic look with Aang, who he knew had been putting on a brave face ever since he found out about their engagement. At least tonight's dancing had lifted the Avatar's spirits somewhat.

”Ooh, who’s it going to be?” asked a girl named On Ji, who’d danced with Aang several times already that night. "Is she going to be our new Fire Lady?"

The Fire Lord only shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. 

”You’ll just have to wait and see,” he said, unable to hide the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

~*~*~

Before the ball started, Zuko had warned Katara that he’d be preoccupied for most of the evening, but he’d still make time to dance with her before it was over. She leaned against a pillar and lightly picked at the beading of her blue Water Tribe ceremonial dress.

Katara smiled to herself as she watched Zuko, looking every bit the leader he’d grown into, greet and speak with various dignitaries in attendance.

“Hey.”

Katara started and looked beside her to see Mai, standing with her arms tucked in her robes. She felt herself blush.

“Oh. Hi.”

The two women stood in silence for a few minutes, and Katara felt herself start to fidget. Finally, the other woman spoke.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m aware of your relationship with Zuko. I know you haven’t announced it publicly yet, but Ty Lee and I found out from your brother and your friends while they were waiting for you two in the hallway a few days ago.”

Katara felt her stomach drop in guilt. Zuko might have ended things with Mai before they’d gotten together, but she couldn't imagine how hard all of this must be for her, much less finding out in that way.

She also remembered seeing Ty Lee at dinner briefly the night her father gave them his blessing. The newest Kyoshi Warrior had given both her and Zuko massive hugs and told them how happy she was for them, but she hadn't mentioned anything about Mai finding out as well.

Ty Lee just said Mai was staying with her family until the day of the coronation.

Katara remembered now how Toph had tilted her head like she always did when someone was lying, and the rest of their friends looked down briefly. But then Ty Lee distracted them both by talking about how their auras glowed or something, and they'd promptly gotten sidetracked.

Katara started to speak, but Mai held up her hand.

“Let me finish. I’m not going to lie and say I’m excited for you, because I do admit I wish it were me instead. In fact, it’ll probably take me a while to get over him.”

“But…” she said, looking evenly at Katara. “I’ve been watching you both since the ball started, and I've never seen Zuko look as happy as he is when he’s looking at you. I certainly never saw him look at me that way. I just wanted to let you know that I don’t harbor any ill will. Take care of him for me, and if you break his heart, just know that I can carve yours out effortlessly.”

Well. That could have been a lot more awkward, she thought. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she just bowed her head towards Mai.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely.

Mai nodded and resumed her gaze towards Zuko, allowing herself a small, sad smile.

~*~*~

Zuko looked over just in time to see his ex-girlfriend standing and talking with his fiancee. He’d received a letter that Mai would be at his coronation but hadn’t seen her until now.

She made her way through the crowd and stopped when she reached him. Zuko could tell that despite her calm exterior, Mai had tears hiding behind her eyes.

“Congratulations, Lord Zuko,” she said coolly, bowing to him like the good, proper Fire Nation girl she’d been raised as.

Never let it be said the noblewoman lacked manners. He smiled softly at her when she stood back up and nodded his head.

“Thank you, Mai. I’m so glad you’re here,” he said softly.

After getting dumped via a letter with little to no explanation, and especially being locked up following their encounter at the Boiling Rock, she had to hate him on some level. He almost hoped she did, because he knew that would make it easier for her to move on.

The fact that she’d turned on Azula and was standing before him now made him realize that she still cared. While he looked forward to spending his future with Katara, he still felt a pang of sadness for the first girl he fell in love with, even though she no longer held his heart.

Mai just waved her hand as if it were nothing.

“I wanted to let you know how proud I am of you,” she was saying before lowering her voice. “As I told Katara, I’m aware of your relationship with her."

His eyes widened as she explained in quiet tones how she'd learned _that_ particular bit of news.

"Mai... I'm so sorry," he said quietly when she finished.

She tilted her head.

"Sorry that you chose her over me, or sorry that I found out the way I did?" she asked evenly. "It was bad enough when you ended things through a letter, but at least that time I got to hear it from you in your own words."

He frowned.

"Mai, I truly am sorry for everything I've put you through," he said firmly. "But as much as this will hurt, I do want you to hear it from me. I love her with all of my heart, so much that I was willing to give everything up for her."

She closed her eyes and sighed. Mai briefly considered telling him about her visit to see Azula the other day to hear her former friend’s explanation of what happened but chose not to.

"I can see that," she said calmly, looking at him again. "Well, then. There's not much left for us to say then, so I'll end with this. I told her it would be some time before I’m fine with it, and in fact I might never be, but…”

She trailed off, brushing a strand of hair away from his face that had fallen loose from his topknot and cupped his cheek, knowing Katara was staring from across the room.

For the briefest of moments she was tempted to kiss him one last time, but knew it was far too late for that. Mai sighed once more, and her eyes watered just a bit.

“Your girl is lovely, Zuko,” she said softly, pulling him in for one long, final hug.

Then she pushed herself away and walked off before he could see the tears fall from her eyes. He didn’t see her again the rest of the night.

A few years would pass before their next encounter with Mai, this time happily working at her aunt’s flower shop and dating a boy named Kei Lo.

~*~*~

An hour or so later, Zuko finally managed to pull Katara aside like he’d promised earlier. As he led her to the center of the room where the other couples danced slowly, they noticed almost everyone was staring.

Representatives from the Water Tribes were stunned at first, at least until they found Chief Hakoda and asked him if he saw who his daughter was dancing with. He just raised an eyebrow and smiled when he looked out at Katara with the Fire Lord.

"I wasn't aware that Fire Lord Zuko could dance," he said as casually as if they were discussing the weather. "He's actually not that bad, wouldn't you agree?"

They exchanged confused looks with each other, but Hakoda just brushed their questions aside. "All in due time," was the only explanation he gave them.

That quieted them, but the rest of the crowd still murmured amongst themselves.

Katara realized many of the the palace staff in attendance had already become accustomed to her closeness with Zuko, so they were unfazed that she was dancing with their leader. The ones standing near Iroh gave them grins of encouragement, and she thought she saw Rei's smiling face somewhere in the crowd.

She did catch several eyerolls from many of the nobles, though it was clear some hadn’t meant for her to see. They were used to her presence but much less accommodating of outsiders. Some had even heard rumors that she'd saved him from death and they'd kissed immediately afterwards, shamelessly in front of the Sages.

Then there were the various dignitaries and guests from the Earth Kingdom, who looked outright astonished. Whispers grew louder, and a few even narrowed their eyes in disdain. They’d accepted Zuko as a suitable enough leader, especially compared to Ozai and Azula, but they still didn’t fully trust him.

Despite the speeches earlier proclaiming unity between the nations, seeing a waterbender acting so intimately with the Fire Lord was almost unacceptable.

One by one the other couples slowly danced their way to the edge of the ring, until only the two of them remained, slowly swaying together in the middle.

Katara hadn’t accepted his proposal blindly. She knew they faced a lifetime of prejudices to overcome, and they had a long, exhausting road ahead of them. Zuko was all-too-aware that by asking for her hand, he was also asking for even more headaches and difficulties than he already faced. 

Even so, they exchanged an unspoken look as they danced, and both stood just as committed to their decision now more than ever.

 _But the stares and gossip will still take some getting used to_ , she thought sadly, glancing downwards. Zuko sighed, sounding just as tired as she suddenly was by all of the looks of disdain.

”Katara... if you don’t feel comfortable dancing with me in front of all these people, you don’t have to,” he said quietly, looking down at her in concern.

But she shook her head and looked up at him with a sad smile. 

”I’m not leaving your side,” she said. “Not unless you push me away or don’t want me to be here anymore.” 

”You know that will never happen,” he said softly. “Just ignore everyone else.”

Katara nodded and looked back down.

~*~*~

The Fire Nation citizens were mildly surprised but not shocked when Fire Lord Zuko led the waterbender out to the middle of the dance floor.

“I told you,” one whispered amongst his friends, “I saw the Ember Island Players’ show a few months ago, and those two were a couple in that. I knew it was only a matter of time before it all came out in the open.”

A representative from the Earth Kingdom frowned as she overheard.

“What’s this?” she asked as they turned to face her and a few more dignitaries who’d also been listening in.

“It’s just the worst kept secret in the whole country,” the Fire Nation noble muttered. "A _peasant_ of all people."  


“I’ve heard rumors that she’s his concubine,” whispered another noble. “Did you know that after the Agni Kai, they disappeared into his bedroom together and didn’t leave until the next day?”

“Apparently the two of them have been together ever since he took lightning in the back to save her,” the first one sniffed.

“Actually, he took lightning to the heart for her. _I’m_ the one who was shot in the back by Azula.”

They’d been so caught up in their conversation that none of them noticed the Avatar and a short Earth Kingdom girl now stood nearby. Judging by the frowns on their faces, they’d just heard every word, too.

The guests blushed and bowed immediately, hurriedly showering him with praises and thanking him for his presence.  Aang bowed his head at them politely, although Toph crossed her arms and scowled in their general direction.

“You know, bringing the nations together is my ultimate goal but not if it involves gossip about two of my closest friends,” he said sternly. "There's not a problem here, is there?"  


He bit back a smirk at the scandalized looks on their faces.

“We meant no disrespect, Avatar Aang,” one of them said nervously.

Toph scoffed loudly but he just smiled innocently at them. 

"I'm sure you didn't," he said serenely.  "Katara is one of my oldest friends, and is one of the best people I've ever known.  I've only been friends with the Fire Lord for a short time, but I believe he'll make a fine leader. He genuinely cares about the Fire Nation, and I look forward to seeing his reign. Don't you agree, Toph?"  


She resisted the urge to say that technically she couldn't _look_ forward to anything, but she opted to save the quip for another time. She had bigger fish to fry.

"I absolutely do," she said demurely. "I'm Toph by the way, of the Beifong family, and the world's greatest earthbender, as well as the only known metalbender. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." 

It actually wasn't, but she had a point to make.  Those from the Earth Kingdom gaped. 

"Miss Beifong!" they stammered, bowing profusely. "We had no idea... the honor is all ours..." 

But she dismissed them with a wave of her hand and took on the air of what she called Classic Beifong Snobbery.

"Surely you weren't talking about my best friend out there, either," she said haughtily. "You know, during our travels, she and I received a personal invitation to one of King Keui's parties in Ba Sing Se. Hardly what I'd call a peasant, wouldn't you say, Aang?" 

The Avatar smiled politely and bowed his head. 

"Certainly not, Miss Beifong," he agreed, flagging down a nearby representative from the Northern Water Tribe. "Excuse me, good sir. Wouldn't you say that as the daughter of Chief Hakoda, that makes Katara as much royalty as the Fire Lord?"  


The tribesman warily eyed the other guests from the other nations and turned back to face Aang. 

"Absolutely," he said. "Technically, one might consider her a princess and her brother a prince." 

Aang thanked him and sent him on his way before facing the others again. 

"Besides," he said with a deceptively calm smile, "even if she wasn't royalty herself, that's not important, right Toph?" 

Miss Beifong nodded and turned her nose up. 

"If there's one thing I've learned as a member of one of the richest families in the entire Earth Kingdom, it's that money can't buy class or manners," she sniffed. " _Clearly_."  


The Avatar nodded and decided it was time to wrap this up. 

"It would be certainly be a shame if others were to disrespect our very dear friends, wouldn't it?" 

"Quite tragic, indeed," Toph agreed. 

"Besides," he continued, enjoying the horrified looks on the others' faces a bit too much, "I can't say I recommend getting on either of their bad sides. After all, he is one of the most powerful firebenders I've ever met, and that includes Ozai. From what I hear, our good friend Katara also handily defeated Azula when the princess attacked her." 

Toph nodded. 

"I pity whoever is foolish enough to cross them," she said pointedly, dropping her rich girl act just enough so the group could hear the warning in her voice.

"Now then!" the Avatar said, grinning and taking Toph's arm. "If you'll excuse us, Miss Beifong and I are going to go join two of our closest friends on the dance floor. Shall we go, Toph?" 

"By all means, please lead the way." 

He turned back to the group and smiled once more at the slightly sour looks on their faces.  The bewildered guests just nodded. 

They also thought they heard Miss Beifong mutter something rather profane and most unladylike in their general direction, but they couldn’t quite make it out.  


From across the room, Sokka and Suki also overheard heated gossip and whispers of speculation.

He was about to snap at the people nearby and cause a scene when the murmurs ceased altogether as the Avatar and his earthbending teacher joined the waterbender and Fire Lord on the dance floor.

Sokka and Suki nodded at each other, and he extended his hand to his fiancée, which she immediately accepted.

“Come my dear, let’s go dance with my _sister_ and our friends,” he announced. 

Sokka noted smugly how the gossipers around them turned pale when they realized her brother had heard every word they’d just said.

~*~*~

Zuko and Katara exchanged a look of surprise as four figures joined them from opposite sides of the dance floor.

“What are you guys doing?” he whispered as his friends moved into place beside them.

Suki and Sokka exchanged a smile with Aang as the four also began spinning and dancing together.

“We figured if these snooty, pompous jerks were going to gossip, we should give them something worth talking about,” Toph explained, thankfully keeping her voice down for once.

“You should have heard what Toph just called them under her breath,” Aang said with a grin. “Her parents would have passed out. I shouldn't condone it, being the Avatar, but I'll let it slide.”

From their other side, Suki chimed in as well.

“If they mess with one of us, they mess with all of us. That’s our motto as Kyoshi Warriors and it applies to friends, too. We’ve got your backs.” 

“The six of us stick together no matter what,” Sokka added. “If they think they can get away with giving you two a hard time, well, they’ll have to answer to the rest of Team Avatar.” 

Katara blinked back tears as she smiled at her brother and friends. 

“Thank you,” she said softly, and they nodded in understanding. 

Aang then whispered something in Toph’s ear, and she nodded, grinning. 

“Fire Lord Zuko,” he said politely, turning to his friend, who had gotten a little choked up as well. “Would you be opposed to Miss Beifong and I showing your subjects how to _really_ dance?” 

Zuko smiled down at Katara, who was now grinning up at him.  He bowed his head to his friend and swept his arm out with a flourish. 

“We’d be honored, Avatar Aang. Please be my guest.” 

~*~*~

The crowd then had something entirely new to gossip about as they watched the Avatar show off his impressive dance skills with his Earth Kingdom partner.  Eventually his classmates joined them and showed off their dance moves as well, and then the audience _really_ had new topics to discuss amongst themselves.

The Fire Lord didn’t seem bothered by being upstaged, however. If anything, he was quite at ease now as he watched and smiled, sitting off in a corner beside his Water Tribe companion. 

The crowd was so engrossed by the dancing in front of them that none noticed when Zuko took Katara’s hand in his and held it for the rest of the night. A few noticed when she leaned her head against his shoulder and he draped his arm around her, but then they were quickly distracted by the Avatar and Miss Beifong's duet on the dance floor.  


After awhile, Katara turned her head to whisper in Zuko's ear. 

“Have you figured out which day you're going to make the announcement?” she asked. 

He pondered this for a moment, then he grinned at her and tilted his head towards the middle of the room.  Her eyes widened. 

“Are you serious?”  


“No, it was just a crazy idea," he whispered. "If you'd rather wait a bit longer, we can. Is there another time you’d prefer?" 

Katara’s heart started pounding, and she had a feeling Zuko’s was, too.  She took a deep breath to steady herself and to his surprise, she nodded towards the middle of the dance floor as well. 

“No time like the present, right?” she whispered with a smile as he now looked surprised. “It’s not like they don’t know something’s up at this point, anyways.” 

Encouraged, he kissed her hand and helped her to her feet.  


“Ready?” he asked, feeling a bit lightheaded.

She stood beside him and held his hand a bit tighter than normal.

“Ready,” she whispered, and with nervous smiles on both of their faces, he led them towards the middle of the room.

~*~*~

The next morning, word spread quickly throughout the rest of the Fire Nation, and messenger hawks were sent out to all corners of the world with the following announcement:

_In a year's time, Fire Lord Zuko shall wed Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, uniting both nations in a new era of rebirth, peace, and love._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like I was inspired by the ending of Pride and Prejudice in the previous chapter, I was inspired by the ending of "The Way We Were" for the farewell between Mai and Zuko. It's a classic scene starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, and I highly recommend looking it up.


	4. Ascension

The following year of courtship seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye.

Their visit to the Southern Water Tribe almost six months prior had gone better than they'd expected. Aang, Toph, Sokka, and Suki accompanied them, both to visit the snowy tundra with their friends and to give the Fire Lord moral support as he confronted his past sins.

On the trip down, nestled away from the others towards the back of Appa's saddle, Zuko once more asked Katara if he could propose to her all over again whenever he presented his gift at the South Pole, and once more she turned him down at first.

"I'm serious, I loved my proposal," she insisted. "Why do you keep bringing this up?"

He looked down.

"Katara, the first time we met was when I terrorized you and your village," he said quietly. "The first memory I have of your home, the first time I ever saw you, was when you were looking at me in horror. Then the second time I saw you surrounded by your element was at the North Pole, when you rightly put me in my place. I've never seen you smiling in the snow before, and I want that to be the memory I have of you in your homeland."

She was touched, and immediately she kissed him.

"Well then," she murmured. "You better make it a good one."

~*~*~

When Fire Lord Zuko proposed to Master Katara for the second time, it was a couple of weeks after they arrived at the Southern Water Tribe, once he'd done his best to make amends with her grandmother and her people.

Instead of a hushed, private conversation in the hallway outside of the Fire Nation's throne room, they were now surrounded by her family, their friends, and the rest of her tribe as icy flurries danced in the air around them.

He fought back a shiver as he knelt in the snow and repeated the words he'd said before, although he phrased them much more eloquently this time. She of course nodded and said yes before he even finished speaking, grinning all the while.

His fingers trembled slightly from the cold and perhaps even nerves as he reached into his coat pocket and unwrapped her present before giving it to her.

Remembering their conversation from ages ago, he opted not to carve her a necklace since she still wore her mother’s. Instead, he worked under the guidance of Toph and local craftsmen to forge her a light, silver crown shaped like a phoenix, with sapphires for the eyes.

He couldn't stop himself from grinning as she clasped her hands over her mouth when she saw it.

"You made this?" she gasped, and he nodded triumphantly, explaining to their audience the significance of his blue phoenix, who brought him back from the brink of death and completely captivated his heart. 

Now, her crown would forever serve as a symbol of their love for each other on the day the world nearly burned to ashes.

When he stood again, his legs were damp from kneeling the snow, and he was well and truly chilled to the bone. But he paid no attention to that, instead focusing on the sparkle in her eyes as he carefully tucked the crown into her topknot as snowflakes swirled around them.

Then she pulled him in for a kiss and embraced him as their friends cheered and their audience applauded, and suddenly he no longer felt cold.

~*~*~

The day of the wedding, Katara touched her mother’s necklace for perhaps the hundredth time as she waited for her cue to walk through the palace courtyard with her father and down the aisle, where Zuko waited for her.

She nervously smoothed down the front of her wedding gown and took a deep breath to steady herself.

Nijiko and other seamstresses had used the most delicate materials for her dress and outer robe, which shimmered white and gold in the glow from the lanterns and flowed behind her like a stream when she walked.

She wore fine jewelry of rubies and diamonds, and her hair was styled into a bun complete with fire lilies, not unlike how she’d worn it that fateful night she first danced with her future husband.

Katara had insisted on wearing her hair loops, though, which were pinned back with the traditional blue beads.

She knew that as the soon-to-be wife of the Fire Lord, she would be expected to give up some of her Water Tribe customs for the ceremony. She was relieved when the wedding stylists had agreed to let her keep them.

They told her she could incorporate more blues into her everyday and formal wardrobe after, which gave her a peace of mind.

But for the ceremony itself, they suggested she should celebrate her new home.

~*~*~

When Gran Gran saw her beforehand, dressed in all of her splendor, she had to wipe tears away.

“You’re so beautiful,” she said and delicately hugged her so as not to muss up the dress. “Your mother would be so proud.”

Katara hadn’t seen Zuko since dinner the night before, and although she was exhilarated, she was also nervous. They’d stayed up late hosting guests from the other nations, including some Air Acolytes from the new temple Aang and Toph had built in the past year.

She was pulled back to the present when she heard her cue. As confident as she’d felt minutes ago, she suddenly felt sick. She swallowed nervously and looked at her father, who gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Then when the doors swung open and she saw Zuko waiting for her across the courtyard, she gasped and her hands flew to cover her mouth, drawing more than a few understanding smiles.

She'd heard light whispers of surprise from the crowd earlier, and now she knew why.

The gold from his crown was the only color he wore that symbolized his ties to the Fire Nation. Instead of crimson, his robes were a deep blue, like those of a Water Tribe groom.

Katara wanted to cry, but that would have ruined her makeup.

She looked up at her father, who just nodded down at her and smiled knowingly, to her astonishment. She would learn later that during their trip to the South, Zuko had spoken at length with her father and Sokka, and together the three managed to pull it off with a little help from Gran Gran.

She somehow kept her emotions in check until the end of the ceremony, when a few happy tears slipped out. Zuko chuckled softly and wiped them away, pulling her in for a deep kiss.

Taking her hand in his, they turned to the cheering crowd as the Fire Sages introduced them for the first time as husband and wife, Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Katara.

He held her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently.

“Ready?” he said with a smile.

She responded by squeezing his hand and grinning wildly.

“Ready.”

~*~*~

As he swayed with his wife in his arms at the reception afterwards listening to fireworks in the distance, Zuko thought back to that time he first danced with her.

“Do you remember what the theme was supposed to be from that party at the beach house?” he asked her after few minutes of blissful silence.

Katara smiled at the memory, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"I think it was heaven on earth, or something like that,” she whispered.

He nodded.

“That’s what this feels like,” he said softly, squeezing her. “I’m so happy, Katara.”

She raised her head up and kissed him.

"I am too," she said softly, repeating the vows they'd made earlier. “I am yours, and you are mine.”

He murmured the words back to her and rested his chin against her hair.

After a minute, she spoke again.

“Do you also remember that conversation on the beach when you said were never going to propose to me?” she asked cheekily. "So much for that, huh."

He just shrugged his shoulders and smiled down at her.

”I might have lied, sweetheart.”

~*~*~

Across the room, the Avatar found himself more than a bit nervous as he asked his earthbending teacher to dance. He’d had a lot of time to think everything over in the past year, and he’d realized something that had been staring him in the face.

They’d spent all of their time together in the months leading up to the wedding, and he discovered that he looked forward to seeing her whenever she visited him at the new air temple.

Although he knew she would never admit it, he noticed she smiled at him more often and actually started calling him by his name instead of Twinkletoes (but not too often, of course. She still had her tough reputation to uphold, after all.)

Toph didn’t comment on his pounding heartbeat, but just laughed as he spun her around on the dance floor and held her close.

“So…” he said, hoping he sounded smooth. “How would you feel about traveling the world with me, just the two of us?”

~*~*~

Katara soon became a beloved Fire Lady known for her kindness and strength, as well as her constant work in the poorer communities.

As the official representative for the Water Tribes, she and her husband worked tirelessly with their ambassadors to unite the two nations in harmony.

Some had taken to calling them the Dragon Reborn and his Blue Phoenix, after hearing the tale of how she’d brought him back to life with her tears. It was sweet and poetic and all, but just a bit much, they thought. Sokka, however, loved it and wrote many, many haikus about it, which they admitted were actually quite good.

They also secretly pitied the poor Fire Nation students from now on, who would probably be confused as to why their history books mentioned two sequential leaders who both bore the title of “phoenix,” albeit in very different contexts.

Although several nobles still eyed her with contempt, none dare to insult her lest they find themselves facing a wall of fire or blades of ice to the throat. Eventually, she won them over, too, at least enough to the point they started praising her with a bit more sincerity.

That was enough for her, though.

~*~*~

To their great astonishment, a few years into their marriage they discovered his mother was still very much alive and well. When Katara properly met her mother-in-law for the first time, Zuko noted with a smile how much they had in common.

To his consternation, however, his wife especially enjoyed hearing all of Ursa’s embarrassing stories of his younger years.

After they’d found Lady Ursa, Zuko stopped visiting his father’s prison cell altogether, much to Katara’s relief. She’d been down there once before with him for support during the search, but after Ozai hurled insults and slurs her way, Zuko had forbidden her from returning.

Before he’d ushered her out, though, he had the satisfaction of seeing the look of terror on his father’s face when she used her bloodbending to freeze his muscles for a few moments, showing she was not someone to be trifled with.

Now with his wife by his side and his mother returned home with her new family, Fire Lord Zuko could finally look towards the future.

~*~*~

Fire Lady Katara delighted in being married to her husband, although they still had their fair share of disagreements. Those always ended with them sparring in the training courtyard during the day and making up in each other’s arms at night.

After, as they held each other, they'd snuggle and murmur whispers of love in the other's ear.

Then early one morning, some months after they reunited with Ursa, she awoke before her husband and suddenly became violently ill. Zuko held her hair and rubbed her back as she emptied the contents of her stomach from the day before.

Soon after, the royal doctors whisked her away, and he grudgingly went about his duties as Fire Lord that day with a sinking feeling in his gut.

When they finally reunited privately in their bedroom later that night, he had to hold himself back from bowling her over in a hug.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, finally allowing fear to show in his eyes.

To his surprise, she just smiled and brushed her fingers through his hair before she spoke the second set of words that he would never forget. He stood as still as if she’d frozen him to the spot, eyes wide with shock.

Then he blinked a few times. It was pretty obvious in hindsight, he thought. A few moments later he lifted his wife up and spun her around as she squealed, much like he had during their first dance together.

When she returned to her feet Zuko breathlessly pulled Katara to him in a tight embrace, and both shed happy tears as they kissed.

Several months later, they named their newborn daughter in memory of the lantern-lit fountain on Ember Island where they first danced together.

~*~*~

Fifteen years after a Fire Lord wed a master waterbender, the royal siblings were engaged in an important discussion on one side of their family’s beach house courtyard.

“Come on, we can take them!” Princess Kya whispered to her older sister and twin brother, looking across at their cousins, who were also deep in discussion.

Crown Princess Izumi rolled her eyes.

“I can’t believe I let you two drag me into this game,” she bemoaned.

Prince Hanzo elbowed his big sister.

“We need your brains for this operation if we’re going to beat them!” he insisted. “If we were using our bending, I could beat them and so could Kya, but even so, we’d still need a leader.”

Kya had inherited her mother’s ability to waterbend and Hanzo was already proving to be a gifted firebender.

Izumi had not acquired either of her parents’ bending capabilities, but she had already developed quite the authoritative demeanor, proving she was capable of leading her siblings in both games and getting into constant trouble with their parents.

She’d also inherited her father’s swordsmanship skills and was coming along nicely with her training. Normally she’d be practicing with her broadswords right now if it weren’t for the big summer beach house reunion with their Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki.

At any minute, Avatar Aang and his wife Toph Beifong would also fly in to visit, along with their children Bumi, Lin, Tenzin, and Suyin.

Izumi caught sight of the adults watching from the steps, looking entertained. Her youngest brother Shunsui was dozing off, resting his head in their mother’s lap. She sighed and put her hands on her hips.

“Okay, here’s what we do…” she started.

~*~*~

Meanwhile, the Fire Lord and the Southern Water Tribe’s most formidable warrior were also engaged in an equally important discussion.

“You’re crazy!” Zuko said in a low voice to his brother-in-law. “Even if my kids don’t use their bending, they could still beat their cousins.”

Sokka lightly punched his friend’s arm. Hitting a member of royalty even in jest was normally frowned upon, but Zuko didn’t care.

“Not a chance,” he chuckled. “Kyoshi and Kuruk have two of the deadliest warriors in the world as their parents. Your kids are going down!”

The Fire Lady and leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, who were sitting on the steps in front of their respective spouses, looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

“I can't believe our husbands are actually pitting our children against each other,” Katara groaned as she stroked her youngest son’s hair.

Suki turned and gently swatted at her husband’s arm, causing him to yelp in surprise.

“Sokka, quit trying to bet on our children against your nephews and nieces,” she scolded.

He wore a wounded look and gestured to Zuko, saying he wasn't the only guilty party, and the Fire Lord promptly received a raised eyebrow from his wife.

Both men had the grace to blush, but that soon turned to a victory whoop from Sokka as Kuruk made the first goal against his cousins.

“Score one for the Water Tribe!” Sokka smirked, earning a lighthearted glare from his brother-in-law. He elbowed Zuko and said cheekily, “Oh, that’s _rough_ , buddy.”

Katara also cheered softly, receiving a look of mock betrayal from her husband.

“What can I say?” she giggled, high fiving her brother.

The siblings fanned their arms out in complete seriousness.

“Water Tribe,” they whispered simultaneously.

Zuko pretended to be annoyed but couldn’t stop his smile. Katara leaned back in her husband’s arms, enjoying the warmth of his embrace, and he kissed the top of her head.

Despite his silent vow all those years ago on that very courtyard during his first dance with Katara, Zuko hadn’t even suggested naming their first daughter in Toph’s honor.

He had, however, taken to calling the loudest, most obnoxious turtleduck in their garden back home after her, which gave Katara a giggle every time she sat by the pond.

Toph still didn’t know she had a namesake, much less one that quacked entirely too loudly early in the morning. If she had, though, Zuko thought she still might be pleased.

~*~*~

“Can you believe it’s been 16 years since that summer we first stayed here?” Suki asked, who’d also settled back contentedly into her husband’s arms.

Katara nodded and smiled.

“I’m just glad you and Toph decided to be sneaky and set up that dance party,” she said with a mischievous wink up at her husband.

“Don’t forget who was in charge of decorating!” Sokka pointed out. “If it wasn’t for my artistic vision, you two might have never gotten together.”

Zuko exchanged a glance with his wife, and the two smirked.

“Honestly, it’s a miracle we did," he deadpanned. "That artwork was horrible enough to scare anyone away from falling in love."

Katara and Suki snickered as Sokka indigently waved his finger around and defended his so-called masterpieces. Zuko just drowned him out and smiled down once again at his wife nestled in his arms. She sensed his gaze and tilted her head back, winking at him again.

Later that night they were scheduled to meet up with Lady Ursa, along with her husband Noren and Zuko’s half-sister Kiyi at the newest production by the Ember Island Players called “The Dragon Lord and Phoenix Lady: How Love Conquered All,” or something equally as ridiculous.

(None of them could actually remember the title correctly, not like it mattered.)

Ursa had already seen it once and warned them that the Players’ re-enactment of Zuko taking the lightning strike for Katara, as well as their declaration of love afterwards, included some of the sappiest acting and monologues she’d ever seen.

Neither the Fire Lord or Lady were particularly looking forward to watching it, but their children had pleaded up at them with big shiny eyes, and they’d finally relented.

Even if they’d said no, they knew Sokka would somehow push them all into going, so Zuko made sure they were stocked up on whiskey beforehand to help him forget the horrors of what he'd soon witness.

~*~*~

Suddenly, Kya stopped playing and looked up at the skies overhead.

"Mom, I think it's about to rain," she called out.

Shunsui had woken up from his nap and looked skyward with his mother, who grinned. He wasn't quite old enough yet to bend, but both his parents thought he'd be a waterbender as well.

"I think you're right, sweetie," Katara replied with a thrill in her voice.

Sokka shrugged his shoulders.

"It might, but there aren't that many clouds-"

Before he could finish speaking, the heavens opened up while the sun shone between. Sokka just rolled his eyes and didn't even try to finish that thought.

The kids immediately forgot their game and instead started splashing each other in the sparkling rain.

Kya managed to bend a small arc of water above her head proudly. She still had a long way to go before she was anywhere near her mother’s level, but she was slowly making progress.

"Hey Aunt Katara, please make the rainbows!" Kyoshi pleaded as her brother and cousins quickly chorused in agreement.

Katara smiled and passed Shunsui off to her husband with a kiss. She walked out into the rain and her blue dress quickly became soaked, but she paid it no attention, gracefully waving her arms outward.

Overhead, the water formed a pocket around them and flowed like a waterfall down the sides. The kids oohed and ahhed as the sunlight cast shimmering rainbows from the water above and sparkling in midair around them.

Zuko stood up and carried Shunsui out into the courtyard with the others and pointed to the thousands of raindrops illuminated by sunlight.

"See how beautiful that is?" he asked his son softly. "The first time I saw your mom do that was when I realized I was in love with her."

Hanzo, who was standing close enough to hear, rolled his eyes. He still had a few more years to go before he'd stop thinking girls were weird.

"Gross," he muttered, carefully holding up a tiny flame under a water droplet and creating even more rainbows.

Katara had heard as well, and she beamed over towards her smiling husband.

~*~*~

Soon after the rain ended, they heard the unmistakable sound of Appa flying overhead and saw him landing nearby, his passengers waving at them excitedly.

Shunsui wiggled out of his father’s arms and toddled after the rest of the children as they ran out of the courtyard to greet the Avatar and his family. Sokka and Suki followed right behind, wondering aloud if the airbender's arrival had something to do with the sun shower earlier.

"I'm just saying," Sokka pondered, "it usually takes wind to bring the two elements together, and he could have easily sent a huge gust of air to blow the rain over here into the sunlight."

Before they left the courtyard, however, Katara held her husband back for just a moment to kiss his cheek.

“Later tonight when everyone is asleep, want to get out of here and go spend a few hours down by the shore?” she whispered in his ear with a hint of a smirk. "Make sure you bring the blanket."

He just chuckled and pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her deeply.

~*~*~

After they landed, Toph looked outright astonished when she hugged Katara, but the Fire Lady whispered in her ear to keep quiet for now.

The earthbending master nodded and gave the Fire Lord an extra affectionate punch in the arm a few minutes later.

“You two have been _busy_ since the last time we visited, haven’t you?” she teased under her breath.

Zuko just grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

“What can I say, Toph?” he chuckled. “Give my wife a full moon, and she’s insatiable.”

Toph grimaced.

“Too much information,” she announced and moved on to greet Sokka and Suki.

Aang looked after his wife in confusion, then at Zuko, who just shook his head with a smile.

“Tell you later,” he said, and the Avatar nodded, no less confused.

~*~*~

The next morning, after sitting through the sappiest production any of them had ever seen the night before, Kiyi and Izumi kept an eye on the kids playing in the courtyard while the adults met inside.

Katara grinned at her husband, who looked just as excited as she was.

“Okay, everyone, we’ve got some wonderful news to share, but we’d rather wait a few more months before we tell the kids and announce it to the rest of the world,” he said a bit breathlessly, squeezing his wife’s hand. “Katara and I are excited to-”

“I’m pregnant!” she squealed, unable to hold it in any longer.

Zuko just grinned at the interruption though, and the royal couple immediately found themselves surrounded by family and friends, who hugged them and shouted their congratulations. Toph, however, hung back with a devious smirk.

“I’m so happy for you both!” Ursa laughed, pulling her son and daughter-in-law in for a long hug. “How far along are you?”

“Only a couple of months,” Katara said. “But this time has definitely been a bit rougher.”

She’d also had a rough first trimester when she’d been pregnant with the twins, but she didn’t say so out loud. She didn’t want to get Zuko’s hopes up in case she was wrong. Katara nodded to her husband, who turned to Toph.

“Can you tell yet if it’s a boy or a girl?” he asked, suddenly nervous.

He would have been happy with either, truth be told, although he was hoping for a daughter and Katara for a son. The earthbender shooed everyone away from Katara and rested her hand on her belly for several minutes.

“Well?” Zuko said somewhat impatiently after a long silence. “What is it? What's your answer?”

Toph just smirked.

“Have you picked out any names yet?” she asked, and the rest of them looked slightly confused.

Aang rolled his eyes.

“Come on sweetie, just tell us,” he urged, but she shook her head.

Pregnancy hormones made Katara almost as impatient as her husband, and she huffed.

“I’ll tell you in a minute, Sugar Queen,” Toph said. “But first, run some names by me and I’ll tell you if they’ll fit.”

Both the Fire Lord and Lady also rolled their eyes but complied.

“If it’s a boy, we were thinking either Lu Ten, Seisui, or Mihiro…” Katara said.

“And if it’s a girl either Ayuko, Hinami, or Amaha,” Zuko finished, frowning slightly. 

Toph just moved her hand on Katara’s stomach to another position.

“I just wanted to be sure,” she said slowly, “and I think I’ve figured it out. You may want to sit down for this.”

Katara took a seat, but Zuko stood behind her.

“I’m fine,” he said stubbornly. “Well?”

Toph raised her eyebrow.

"You sure about that?"

"Toph," he said, sounding almost as impatient as he'd been in his youth. "Just tell us."

The earthbender shrugged. Well, if he insisted...

“I like all of those names,” she said, beaming in her friends' general direction. “Luckily, you get to use a few of them - three, to be more specific. Congratulations, you’re having trip-”

But then she had to direct Sokka, Aang, and Noren to catch the Fire Lord just in time, who had passed out most ungracefully.

~*~*~

When Zuko came to a few minutes later, he found himself sitting on the couch, with his best friend on one side bending streams of air to his face and his brother-in-law propping him up on the other, while his stepfather patted his shoulder reassuringly.

His wife had pulled up a chair and was sitting in front of him, calling his name in mild concern, while his mother and Suki stood on either side of her, looking slightly worried. But Toph was cackling away wildly in the corner.

“I am never letting you live this down!” she gasped out once she realized he was awake again. “I told you that you probably wanted to sit-”

“Shut up,” he growled.

He still felt a bit lightheaded as he stood up cautiously, running his hand through his hair.

“Do you remember what happened?” Katara asked softly as she stood with him, looking somewhat nervous. 

Then it all came back to him, and his face broke out into a radiant smile.

“We’re having triplets?” he asked, and his heart nearly burst when his wife returned his smile and nodded.

He swept her up in a hug and gave her a quick kiss when she squealed in surprise. They turned to Toph, who had finally settled down and was smiling in happiness for her friends.

“So, are you ready to find out what you’re having, or are you going to fall out again, Father Lord Zuko?” she asked.

He groaned as the others laughed.

“I almost preferred Sifu Hotman,” he grumbled, although he couldn’t stop the smile tugging at his lips. “Alright, tell us.”

~*~*~

Several months later, the Fire Lord and his Lady happily welcomed the newest additions to their family, Prince Lu Ten, Princess Ayuko, and Prince Mihiro. After the birth of their seventh child, the royal couple decided they were officially finished.

Izumi grew into a wise and benevolent leader under her parents’ guidance, and along with her youngest brother Mihiro, the two nonbenders also became known for their aptitude with broadswords, much like their father.

Hanzo also inherited his father and uncle's talent with blades, although he preferred firebending along with Lu Ten and Ayuko.

Kya and Shunsui, the only waterbenders amongst their siblings, were also beloved by the Fire Nation, and once they were old enough became the official ambassadors for the Southern Water Tribe.

Under their rule, the Fire Nation gradually started to heal along with the rest of the world as they ushered in a new era of peace and love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a quick Steambabies roll call! 
> 
> ORDER: Crown Princess Izumi; twins Prince Hanzo and Princess Kya; Prince Shunsui; triplets Prince Lu Ten, Princess Ayuko, and Prince Mihiro 
> 
> Izumi  
> Meaning: fountain, water  
> Nonbender; skilled with broadswords
> 
> Hanzo   
> Meaning: to hide, half   
> *Named as a shout-out to the legendary Japanese samurai Hattori Hanzo, who was nicknamed “Demon Hanzo” and known for his strategic and political skills as well*  
> Firebender; occasionally uses blades with a focus on broadswords
> 
> Kya   
> Named for Katara and Sokka’s mother   
> Waterbender
> 
> Shunsui   
> Meaning: spring, water  
> Waterbender
> 
> Lu Ten   
> Named for Iroh’s son, Zuko and Azula’s late cousin  
> Firebender
> 
> Ayuko   
> Meaning: love, affection, rainbow   
> Firebender
> 
> Mihiro   
> Meaning: crown, benevolence, sea   
> Nonbender; skilled with broadswords
> 
> I chose to give them seven children for a few reasons. One, the number seven is considered lucky and reoccurs throughout folklore, and it has significance in many major religions (i.e. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.). It’s also a subtle nod to “The Seven Samurai.” Besides, after I introduced this line I couldn’t leave that particular Chekov’s Gun hanging: 
> 
> “Either he was going to kill that brat or name his firstborn daughter after her, once (Agni-willing) he married Katara and gave her a beachside house and had many, many beautiful children together.”


	5. Epilogue: Rebirth

The Fire Lord sat back on a slightly tattered, familiar blanket on the Ember Island beach, watching as flames from the nearby campfire flickered upwards into the night sky.

His wife sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, and he draped an arm around her back as he'd done countless times before.

Many, many years had passed since the first night they spent together laughing and talking around a campfire not that different from this one. Their hair was decidedly grayer now, their faces carried far more wrinkles, and their joints ached much more frequently.

Zuko hugged his wife closer to him and kissed the top of her head.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" he asked, unsurprised when she looked up at him with a hint of tears in her eyes.

Katara nodded and sighed.

"I'm fine," she said sadly. "As fine as can be expected, anyways. We both knew this would happen ever since the day we met him, and I thought I came to terms with it four years ago. It's just hitting me all at once now."

He kissed the top of her head again and wrapped both arms around her, and she slipped both of hers around him.

"Aang was one of your best friends," he murmured. "Of course it's going to be tough, and no one will blame you if you decide you don't want to go through with it."

"He was one of your best friends, too," she insisted. "Yet you didn't hesitate when you heard the news. You immediately volunteered to be her first firebending teacher."

Zuko smiled. He and his wife had enjoyed a long, successful reign, but he knew it was nearly time to bow out. Crown Princess Izumi was already shaping up to be a capable ruler and successor, and the Fire Lord and Lady couldn't be prouder of their eldest daughter.

He and Katara agreed that this trip would give their daughter the opportunity to prove herself, and with most of her siblings still residing in the capital, she'd have plenty of support during the few months they'd be gone.

Besides, they hadn't seen Shunsui or Kya and their families in a while, and several years had passed since their last visit to the Southern Water Tribe. 

"I just thought it was long overdue for Sifu Hotman to make a reappearance," Zuko said lightly.

As he expected, his wife giggled, forgetting her heartache for just a moment, and his heart fluttered as it did every time she laughed.

"If nothing else," he continued, kissing her cheek, "I didn't want a toddler to lose control and burn down the South Pole by accident."

"That would be most unfortunate," she agreed. "But Zuko, you know she's not Aang. She's her own person, and I've heard she's a handful already."

He just shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not expecting her to be just like him," he said. "Besides, we survived raising seven beautiful but rambunctious children, and we've helped out with a few grandchildren as well. How difficult can training one more child be?"

She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows.

"You heard what happened when the Order of the White Lotus met her, right?" Katara asked. "Apparently she knocked down a wall, bended three elements, and proclaimed that she was the Avatar and they had to deal with it."

"So she sounds like the triplets back when they were her age. I don't think she'll be that much of a headache."

His wife was much less optimistic.

"I may quote you on that," she said grinning up at him. "We're not as young as we once were."

"You probably will," he chuckled. "We're in our seventies, Katara, but we're not _that_ ancient."

"Speak for yourself, old man," she teased.

Then she squealed when he reached down and squeezed her bottom.

"Sounds like this old man can still make you scream," he retorted smugly, stretching back out on the blanket, and she laughed, nodding.

Katara leaned over and gave her husband a long kiss, brushing a stray lock of gray hair back from his face.

"Love you," she whispered.

"Love you too, sweetheart," he replied, winking up at her.

She curled up next to him, resting her head against his shoulder once more, and they enjoyed a comfortable silence for some time before she spoke again.

"I think I should be her very first waterbending teacher after all," she murmured. "It seems wrong for me not to be involved in some way."

He looked down at his wife sympathetically.

"I think he'd be happy, sweetheart, but you don't have to do anything you don't want to."

She shook her head.

"No, I want to... I owe it to him as a friend, at least."

Zuko gave his wife another hug and a kiss, squeezing her a bit tighter when he felt his shoulder become damp. He murmured words of encouragement and kissed her forehead until the tears dried.

~*~*~

Once she'd composed herself again, Katara wondered aloud who might serve as the new Avatar's earthbending teacher.

"I can't see Toph wanting to train her," he said. "I know she'll want to meet her at some point, but that might still be too painful. Have you heard from her or their kids lately?"

"I have, I've been in contact with Lin," she replied. "They're doing as well as can be expected, and I heard Tenzin will teach her airbending. Perhaps either she or Suyin might want to be her earthbending teacher."

She paused.

"I know Toph has had a difficult time these last four years, and I do want to visit her again before we go, Zuko."

He nodded in agreement.

They stayed out there just a bit longer, watching the stars dance across the night sky as waves crashed in the distance. After they stood up, Katara led Zuko out to the shoreline some distance from the beach house.

"I think this was the spot," she said, "or maybe it was a little more to the left..."

But her husband just smiled and took her in his arms.

"Right here is perfect," he whispered as he kissed her beside the ocean under the moonlight, just like he had for the first time many, many nights ago.

~*~*~

Several months later, Avatar Korra tilted her head in fascination as she looked up at the older-looking man and woman standing before her in red and blue.

Her parents explained that they had been best friends with her in her past life, which she still had a little trouble wrapping her head around. They seemed nice enough, as long as they didn't call her "Twinkletoes" like that other old lady had when she visited.

Apparently, that had been Aang's wife, and even though she'd been gruff and told Korra to always keep her knees high, she thought the woman in green and yellow seemed pleased but sad when she met her, just like these two were.

"This is who we told you all about," Senna explained to her daughter. "This is Fire Lord Zuko and his wife, Lady Katara."

Both of them knelt to be on her level.

"It's so good to finally meet you," he said, and his wife nodded.

Korra found herself fascinated by the shining crowns in their topknots. His looked like a golden flame, but hers was silver and looked like a bird with blue gems.

She knew it was rude to point, but she did so anyways and asked why their crowns were different. They smiled at each other.

"That's because I was born here, just like you," Katara explained. "When I grew up, I moved away and fell in love with a dragon."

Zuko nodded happily.

"You see, she's not just my wife," he added. "She also saved me and brought me back from death once, just like a phoenix. That's why her crown looks like one."

Korra gaped at him.

"You _died_?" she asked, and he chuckled.

"Something like that... when you're older, we'll tell you the full story," he said, and his wife nodded. 

She then gestured for Korra to come closer, like she had a secret to tell her.

"Remember how I said I was born here?" she said mysteriously. "I've got something very important to ask you." 

Korra nodded and leaned forward, intrigued.

"Have you ever been penguin sledding before?" Katara asked, and a few happy tears escaped the corners of her eyes when she recognized the look of excitement on the girl's face.

"I love penguin sledding!" she shouted. "Mom, Dad, can we go right now?"

But her parents shushed her and told her that would have to wait until tomorrow.

"You know, that's the first thing Aang ever said to me," Katara said with a wistful smile. "Right after we met, he took me penguin sledding. I think that's the best way to meet new friends, don't you?"

Korra nodded happily. She liked them, she decided.

"So you two were his best friends?" she asked.

They both nodded, smiling wistfully.

Korra considered this for a few moments.

"I guess that makes us best friends, too!" she declared with an all-too-familiar lopsided grin.

The adults chuckled, and then Korra saw one of her new friends was now crying. Her husband wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a light squeeze and a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked her in concern, reaching out to pat her arm.

Katara nodded and smiled through her tears.

"I am," she said softly. "I'm just so happy to see you again."

Then she giggled slightly.

"By the way, whenever my husband here starts teaching you the basics of firebending, you should call him Sifu Hotman," she said with wink.

Korra was unimpressed.

"That's a dumb name," she announced, and he nodded.

"You know, I completely agree," Zuko said with utmost seriousness.

~*~*~

Later that night, she listened in on them talking with her parents, even though she was supposed to be asleep.

They discussed things she didn't quite understand, something about an Avatar State and how she had to learn all of the elements in order. Which was dumb, Korra thought, because she already knew most of them.

Apparently they were going to teach her a little bit of bending basics over the next few months so she could control it better. After they left, their son and daughter, who lived nearby with their own families, would take over and teach her everything they could about waterbending.

Once she'd completely mastered her first element, she would wait a few more years to grow up before she learned earthbending, firebending, and finally airbending.

Her new friends were pleasantly surprised when they heard about the visit from the other lady, who'd announced that once Korra was old enough, she looked forward to being her earthbending teacher.

At times, Korra heard them get choked up while sharing stories of her past life and all of the amazing things he'd accomplished. Then they both talked about how proud they were of her already in the short time they'd known her, and how much she reminded them of Aang.

They said she had the exact same smile as him, which Korra found fascinating.

Finally, they left when it was long past her bedtime, and her parents turned in for the evening as well.

But the Avatar laid awake for a long time afterwards before she eventually crawled out of bed and looked out her window, grinning up into the night sky. She knew it would be awhile before she fell asleep tonight.

She was too excited about meeting and learning more from her past life’s best friends, who were now hers, the ones called the Phoenix and the Dragon.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who's read and left reviews on my series! Two months ago, I had never written fanfiction before, so I surprised myself when I sat down and started typing out a story for the Zutara Week 2020 prompt "Celestial." When I finished writing that, I realized I couldn't leave the story hanging, and from there it grew into this epic multi-chaptered multi-installment series. 
> 
> And to think, it all started with a random note I left for myself on my phone on June 11, when I decided I wanted to see a story about Team Avatar teaching Zuko how to dance and him eventually dancing with Katara. 
> 
> I've been a fan of A:TLA since it debuted back in 2005, back when I was 16, and joined the Zutara fandom in fall of 2006, right before the time "Crossroads of Destiny" debuted. I still remember how stunned I felt watching that episode back then. That was my senior year of high school and I skipped out on a football game, even though we were going to the playoffs, so I could stay home and watch the episode live. No regrets.
> 
> Since it ended, I've rewatched it from time to time, and nearly 15 years later this is still my all-time favorite ship, as well as one of my favorite shows. It's had its ups and downs being a fan and a Zutara shipper for sure, but I love how all these years later, it still brings us together. 
> 
> This isn't the last you'll see of me. I've got a few other ideas related to this series bouncing around in my head, and I have a couple of ficlets in mind that I'd like to write out - namely, I'd love to write the 2-on-2 bending match referenced in "Duality." I'd also like to write something from Mai's POV, and I'd like to do justice to her character. I don't have an ETA for those or any other potential fics, because I'm going to take a break after this. I've done nothing but eat, sleep, and breathe this series every free moment for almost two months, and my creative process needs a rest. 
> 
> This series is my gift to the Zutarian community for all of the happiness and entertainment it's brought me over the years. I hope you've enjoyed it, and thank you again so much for reading!


End file.
